The Evacuee
by imadinosawr
Summary: TEMP TITLE! Hermione recieves a letter asking for her hospitality in the Great War. She accepts but what wounded warrior will be staying with her?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: _Okay, my idea bunny is back now with a brand new idea. I don't own Harry Potter, boohiss. (:_

Hermione sat, surrounded by books. So much to do, so little time. After all, it was nearly the second week of the summer holidays and she hadn't done nearly as much homework as she would have liked to. Her bedroom had already been swamped in books and she was sitting cross-legging on her rug, balancing book after book around her, researching, reading up and finding out.

Suddenly, there was a flutter of feathers at the window.

"Fawkes?" Hermione said, squinting up at the window, trying to make the bird out against the darkness of the night.

She clambered up, stepped over her piles of books and opened the window.

"Fawkes, it is you," Hermione said, as the phoenix swooped in and landed on the back of her chair.

There was a roll of parchment attached to his leg. Hermione carefully untied it and unrolled it.

_Miss Granger, _it read.

_Due to last minute complications, we ask for your hospitality for one of the wounded wizards from the front line._

_Please send your reply as soon as possible._

_Yours,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_

"I guess I could have someone here," Hermione said to no one in particular, looking around the room.

She bit her lip and looked back to the parchment. Picking out a route through her piles of books, she made her way to the door, still holding the letter. She ran down the stairs and almost straight into her mother, who was standing in the kitchen, buttering toast.

"Slow down, Hermione dear," her mother said, not looking up from her toast.

"Mum, Dumbledore just send me this letter," Hermione said, handing Mrs Granger the parchment.

Mrs Granger read it and reread it.

"Well, if it's an emergency case, I suppose we could have someone here," she said at last. "They'd have to sleep in your room, though, Hermione, there's no other space."

"I'll go and send my reply, then," Hermione said, taking the parchment back and rolling it up again.

She raced back up to her room, scrabbled around for some more parchment and a quill and quickly wrote a reply.

_Professor Dumbledore, _she wrote.

_It would be fine for someone to stay here. How long would they be here for?_

_Yours,_

_Hermione Granger_

She tied it back to Fawkes's leg and let him back out of the window. Before she had time to settle herself back in her pile of books, he was back.

_Miss Granger,_

_Thank you for your hospitality. The "evacuee" will be arriving at midnight on August 6__th__ and should be staying until September 1__st__, as they attend Hogwarts._

_Yours,_

_Albus Dumbledore_

_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

"August 6th?" Hermione mumbled, looking up from the letter. "Today's the 5th… Oh heck, that's tomorrow!"

She ran back downstairs.

"Mum! Mum, they'll be coming at midnight tomorrow," she said, thrusting the letter to her mother.

"Well I suggest you tidy your bedroom up, with visitors staying," Mrs Granger replied after reading the letter.

Hermione ran back upstairs and pulled her trunk out. All the books fitted in when she brought them home from school, why shouldn't they fit now? She picked armfuls of books up and flung them into the trunk, not caring for order. Once the floor was clear and the trunk was packed full of books, she straightened her whole room up, tweaking at the curtains, adjusting the books and paper on her shelves, straightening her bed covers.

"I wonder who would be on the front line from Hogwarts?" Hermione wondered to herself as she pulled the camping bed out from under her own bed and began to set it up on the floor.

She spent the rest of that night cleaning her room and making the bed for the "evacuee".


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: _I own nothing. Nought. Nada. (: _

Hermione glanced at the clock. Quarter to midnight. They'd be here soon. Her parents were sitting in the two armchairs in their living room, her father reading a newspaper and her mother reading a thick romance novel. Hermione sat fidgeting, looking at the clock every two minutes. Finally, the doorbell sounded.

"They're here!" Hermione said, leaping up and running to the door.

She skidded to a halt infront of the door, quickly flattened her shirt and brushed her hair back out of her face. She put her hand on the door handle and pulled the door open.

"Miss Granger." Dumbledore greeted her with a smile and stepped into the hall. "I hope you don't mind me inviting myself in, but we can't linger outside. There are eyes everywhere."

"No, it's not a problem, sir," Hermione replied. "Would you like to sit down?"

Hermione showed Dumbledore into the living room. Both her parents looked up and smiled courteously at Dumbledore.

"Mrs Granger, Mr Granger," Dumbledore said, nodding at them both in turn before settling himself on the sofa.

"Professor?" Hermione asked, sitting down on the arm of the armchair Mr Granger was sitting in. "Where is this "evacuee"?"

"He'll be arriving shortly," Dumbledore replied pleasantly, "I thought it safer to travel separately."

"Of course," Hermione nodded, feeling stupid.

"Mr Dumbledore," Mrs Granger said, sounding startled. "Did you say… _he_?"

"Yes, Mrs Granger, a male wizard will be taking refuge here," Dumbledore replied. "I understand your concern but I guarantee he will be no trouble."

"If you say so," Mrs Granger replied, turning back to her novel.

There was a sudden _CRACK! _and everyone looked around to see a cloaked figure standing in the middle of the room.

"Ah, here is our "evacuee"," Dumbledore said, standing up.

"Sorry I had to Apparate, sir, but I was being followed," the figure said.

"No worries, Mr Malfoy, no worries," Dumbledore replied.

Hermione sat bolt upright.

_Malfoy?_

"Sir, did you just say… Malfoy?" she asked, standing up.

"Yes," Dumbledore replied.

Hermione looked at the cloaked figure. He reached up and lifted his hood off. Hermione scowled as she recognised a mop of white blonde hair.

"I'll leave you to get settled, Mr Malfoy," Dumbledore said before turning to Hermione's parents. "Goodnight, Mrs Granger, Mr Granger. Have a pleasant holiday, Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy."

"Goodnight sir," Hermione replied and there was another loud _CRACK!_ and Dumbledore disappeared.

"Hermione, why don't you show your friend to your room?" Mr Granger suggested, peering over the top of his newspaper.

"Come on, I'll show you where everything is," Hermione said, sighing.

She climbed upstairs, Draco tailing her. She went into her room and flung herself down on her bed. Draco stood by the door, watching her.

"I didn't know Dumbledore was helping wizards from the dark side," Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Draco snapped, instantly defending himself.

"He brought you here, didn't he?" Hermione sat up and was met with Draco's glare.

"Who said I was even on the dark side?" Draco fired back.

"With a father like yours, I'd assume you would follow in his footsteps," Hermione said, standing up and facing Draco.

"What did you say about my father?" Draco spat, glaring at Hermione.

"You heard me," Hermione sneered.

"My father is dead!" Draco shouted, anger bubbling inside of him. "Shows how much the cleverest witch in the year knows!"

"He's… dead?" Hermione asked, taken back by his sudden burst of outrage.

"The Dark Lord killed him because I was fighting for the light side!" Draco roared, venting his anger on Hermione. "That's why I had to come here; all the Death Eaters are searching for me, they want me dead!"

"The light side?" Hermione repeated.

She couldn't take it all in. Draco Malfoy, who every assumed would be on the dark side, was on the light side and risking being killed to fight against Voldemort, who he was brought up to serve?

"So I'm not too happy about being stuck here when I should be out fighting against my father's side," Draco said, sitting down on the end of the camping bed, his back to Hermione.

"I didn't know," Hermione said quietly after a moment. "I'm sorry."

Draco shrugged, still not looking at her. Hermione sat back down on her bed and stared blankly forwards for a moment.

"I'm going to go to bed," she said to no one in particular.

Draco nodded and stood up, reaching inside his cloak. He searched around in an inside pocket and produced a trunk. Hermione watched as he set it down on the floor and flung his cloak over it, before collapsing onto the bed and staring at the ceiling.

Hermione silently picked out her pyjamas and slipped out of the room and into the bathroom to change. By the time she got back, Draco was already sitting cross legged on the bed in a baggy black t-shirt and pyjama trousers. Hermione suddenly felt aware of her body, only dressed in a white tank top with spaghetti straps and pink trousers.

"Malfoy?" she said as she climbed into bed.

"Mm?" he grunted, climbing into his own bed.

"G'night," she replied, switching the light off and turning over, with her back to Draco.

"Mm," he replied.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: _(8) I believe in karma what you give is what you get returned, I believe you can't appreciate real love 'til you've been burned (8) … Hey I've had a busy day, this is my singing-madly-and-out-of-tune time. (: Anyways, I don't own nothin', ya hear:p _

Hermione rolled over and slowly opened her eyes. As everything came in the focus she found herself looking a lump on a bed next to her. She jumped and sat up before remembering what had happened the previous night.

"This has to be a nightmare or something," she mumbled to herself, flopping back to her pillows.

The lump stirred and Draco emerged from the duvet. He opened his eyes and groaned, the light blinding him.

"You're awake, then," Hermione said, rolling onto her front and leaning on her elbows.

"How nice of you to notice," Draco replied, squinting at her against the light.

"D'you want breakfast?" Hermione asked, her hostess courtesy overriding her grudge against Draco.

"I suppose," Draco replied, sitting up slightly and leaning back on his elbows.

"I'll bring it up, you stay here," Hermione said.

She threw her covers off and went downstairs. She put bread in the toaster and started boiling some water for coffee.

"I have to write to Ginny about this," she said to herself, rubbing her face with her hands.

She finished making breakfast and carried it back upstairs on a tray. She pushed the door open with her foot to find Draco sitting up in bed, looking hopeful.

"It's not special, probably not what you're used to," she said, setting the tray down on his bed and sitting at the end of his bed, facing him.

"Who cares if this is Mudblood food, I'm starving," he said, grabbing a piece of toast.

"Don't use that word," Hermione said blankly, staring down at her own piece of toast.

"Mm," Draco replied.

They ate in silence. Hermione took this opportunity to study him, the way she studied everyone. He certainly looked like the same old Malfoy, his hair was still white blonde, and looked as soft as a baby's. Hermione froze. She'd always wanted to feel how soft it was. Then she shook her head slightly, reminding herself who it was she was analysing. His eyes were still stony grey, though they turned almost silver when he was plotting or amused. Hermione had only ever seen them this colour when he had been throwing abuse at her. His skin was still the marbled white it had always been. But his body… it had changed. He no longer looked like a boy, but he was becoming a man. Even as he hunched over, wearing a baggy t-shirt, she could see how well defined all of his muscles were. She assumed it was from playing Quidditch for most of his life.

Hermione knew most girls liked him, but she had never known why. To her, he had always been a stuck up ferret. But now she saw why girls were attracted to him.

"I know everyone thinks I'm drop dead gorgeous, Granger, but I'd prefer it if you didn't stare at me," Draco said suddenly, his old Malfoy attitude back.

Hermione wrinkled her nose up and remembered why she wasn't one of the girls that fawned over him.

"Whoever told you that you were gorgeous, Malfoy, must have been blind," she retorted.

Then she laughed lightly.

"What?" Draco said, looking up.

"Even though you're staying with me for the whole of this holiday, we still act like we do at school," she said, shaking her head slowly and smiling down at her breakfast.

"The precise reason I'm not looking forward to this holiday," he said, looking back to his food.

Hermione looked up at him, confused. Draco felt her looking at him and went on to explain.

"You see, however obnoxious I seem on the outside, I'm not naturally aggressive," he said, taking a sip of his coffee. "I was brought up to retaliate to anyone I didn't like or anyone who made a comment at me. That's my father for you."

Hermione stared at him in silence. He looked up when she didn't reply.

"Naturally sarcastic, naturally greedy, but not naturally aggressive," he carried on. "It's in the job description for a Malfoy."

"You've changed… a lot," Hermione said, still staring at him.

"Mm," he replied, shrugging.

"How can you be so modest?" Hermione said, picking her coffee mug up.

"I've had a shrink for years," Draco replied, finishing his toast. "My parents made me see one when my father started training me to join the dark side. It was so they could pass off my irregular behaviour as a medical condition."

"Do you have a…" Hermione asked, but she trailed off.

"A what?" Draco asked, looking up.

She could tell he was obviously toying with her, trying to make her say it.

"You know what I mean," she said.

Draco rolled his eyes and turned his left arm over.

"I see nothing," Hermione said after looking at the spot where the Mark should have been.

"I thought you were clever," Draco said sarcastically.

"So you don't have one?" Hermione asked.

"The Dark Lord hasn't summoned his Death Eaters. It doesn't show up unless he does," Draco explained as if he were talking to a six-year-old.

"Oh yes, now I remember," Hermione said, feeling stupid.

She picked the tray up and stood up.

"You can come and help me wash up," she said, making her way to the door.

Draco sighed and followed her downstairs.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: _Fourth chapter in one night! Wow, I'm on a roll. My idea bunny must be in a happy mood. Remind me to give her a carrot later. And review with names for my bunny, she can't just be called "the idea bunny" forever! (: Anyways, am busy owning nothing, you're busy loving my fanfic! _

Hermione flopped down on the sofa, switching the TV on. Draco stared, his eyes wide.

"What?" Hermione asked.

"What in the world is that?" Draco asked, still staring.

"A television," Hermione replied. "It's what Muggles watch for entertainment."

Draco nodded slowly, sitting down. Hermione flicked through the channels before throwing the remote down and huffing.

"There's nothing good on," she complained.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a lawnmower. Draco jumped and looked around.

"What's that?" he asked, still glancing around the room.

"My dad, he's cutting the grass," Hermione replied, laughing. "Come on, come and see."

She got up and went into the kitchen where she could stand at the back door and look out into the garden. Draco hung behind as they got nearer the garden and the lawnmower. Hermione went to step out onto the patio when she felt someone grab her arm.

"Don't go out there, it could be dangerous," Draco said.

"It's not dangerous," Hermione laughed. "I'll get my dad to show you how it works."

Draco reluctantly agreed. He followed Hermione out into the garden.

"Hey dad," Hermione said as her father turned the lawnmower off to talk to them. "Draco was wondering if you explain the lawnmower to him."

"Why would he want me to explain the lawn-…? Oh yes. Of course, come over here and look," Mr Granger said, leading them over to the lawnmower.

He turned it upside down so they could see the parts more clearly.

"Well here you have your thing and then over here, that's your whatsit…" he said, pointing at parts of the lawnmower.

"You don't know, do you, dad?" Hermione asked, smiling.

"No, I don't," Mr Granger said, straightening up and mopping his forehead with the back of his hand. "Tell you what; I do know a thing or two about football. Do you like football, Draco?"

"I've never played football, Mr Granger," Draco replied.

"Well we can soon change that. Hermione, would you mind, er, finishing the lawn up?" Mr Granger asked, turning to Hermione.

"Dad, you know I'm not supposed to use magic," Hermione said, pulling her wand from her pocket.

She quickly charmed the lawn to cut itself. Mr Granger pulled a football goal from the garage and set it up at the end of the lawn. He handed a football to Draco. Hermione sat down on the bench swing and watched her father teach Draco how to dribble, pass, defend and save the ball. Mrs Granger came and joined her.

"What are they talking about?" she asked, watching Mr Granger and Draco try to impress them with simple football tricks.

"The off-side rule," Hermione replied and her mother laughed.

"Boys will be boys, eh?" she said. "And speaking of boys, that Draco's a bit of a _hunk_ isn't he?"

"Mum, no one uses "hunk" anymore," Hermione replied, looking at her mother.

"Even so, you had to admit he's handsome," Mrs Granger said.

"Urgh, Mum, stop it!" Hermione said, not used to hearing her mother talk like this. "If you knew him as well as I do, you'd soon see his looks aren't everything."

"If you say so, darling," Mrs Granger said, standing up. "Lunch in half an hour."

Her mother went back inside and Hermione returned to watching Mr Granger and Draco play football.

"Hermione, come over here!" her father called.

She got up and walked over to them. They were both panting and dripping with sweat.

"You're good a football, aren't you, dear?" her father said. "Fancy a game?"

"Not really," Hermione said, shrugging.

"Yeah, come on Hermione, it'll be fun," Draco said.

Hermione froze at the sound of her name coming from his lips. She supposed it was for Mr Granger, who wouldn't like it if he called his daughter by her last name.

"Fine, I'll play," Hermione said, instantly regretting it as her father ran to the goal.

Draco set the ball down and Mr Granger produced a whistle from his pocket. Hermione readied herself and at the sound of the whistle, she dribbled the ball away from Draco and towards the goal. Draco ran after her and grabbed her round the waist, slipping and falling down, pulling her with him. They landed in a giggling heap on the ground.

"Hey, that was a foul," Hermione said, grabbing a handful of grass and throwing it at Draco.

"At least I got the ball off you," Draco replied, throwing the grass back.

"Lunch!" Mrs Granger called from the kitchen.

Draco clambered to his feet and stuck his hand out, offering to help Hermione up. Hermione took it and felt a buzz of electricity as their hands touched. She smiled sheepishly and blushed as he pulled her to her feet. Mr Granger walked out from the goal and they all piled into the kitchen, pulling sandwiches towards them and carrying them to the dining table.

--- _Later That Day_ ---

Hermione was lying on her bed, reading her old favourite – _Hogwarts: A History_. Draco was in the shower and Hermione could hear him singing from her room. Her door opened and Draco walked in, a towel tied around his waist, another towel he was using to dry his hair.

"Bathroom's free," he said.

"I'll use it in a minute," Hermione said.

She looked at him, realising he didn't have a top on. She could see his much defined stomach and chest muscles, water droplets all over his skin. Hermione swallowed and turned back to her book, ignoring Draco pulling on a pair of dark baggy jeans and a white tank top.

"I'm going downstairs," he announced once he was dressed. "Your dad said he'd show me how to tackle."

"Mm," Hermione replied, not looking up from her book.

She heard the door close and looked up. She suddenly felt a loss, like she was missing something. Shrugging it off, she gathered up some new clothes and went to the bathroom to shower.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: _Hmmmm… My idea bunny has clogged up again. But I'll scrap something together, although I can't promise it'll be any good. Right-o, I own nothing, I love you, you read this. (:_

Draco had been staying with them for just over a week, and they had gotten along well, with Mr Granger steadily teaching them football, Draco learning about Muggle appliances and successfully making a piece of toast, and Hermione getting on with her homework. It was a Tuesday evening, which was the Granger tradition for pasta for dinner, a personal favourite of Hermione's. She was the one who usually made it and was preparing the kitchen when Draco came in from the garden, sweat soaking his dark green tank top.

"What are you doing?" he asked, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge.

"About to make dinner," Hermione replied, filling a saucepan with water. "Do you want to help?"

"Sure, I'll go and get changed," Draco said, running up the stairs.

Hermione heard several thuds and bang, which Hermione presumed was Draco falling over and heard him come back down the stairs. He appeared at the kitchen door in a baggy white t-shirt and dark jeans. He stood next to Hermione at the work surface, looking eager.

"What can I do?" he asked.

"Go into the fridge and grab a pepper?" Hermione asked, opening a packet of spaghetti.

Draco went to the fridge and opened it, rummaging around.

"Is this a pepper?" he asked, pulling a cucumber out and holding it infront of Hermione.

"That's a cucumber," Hermione said slowly. "Have you never seen a pepper, then?"

"No, the house elves did all the cooking at home, I haven't seen anything that isn't cooked," Draco replied, shrugging and turning back to the fridge. He looked through again and pulled out a lettuce. "Is this a pepper?"

"That's a lettuce. The pepper I need is red and, well, pepper shaped," Hermione said.

"That helps," Draco said, rolling his eyes and going back into the fridge.

"Sorry, I haven't ever needed to explain a pepper to someone before," Hermione replied, joining Draco at the fridge. She found a yellow pepper. "That's the shape you want, but it has to be red."

Draco picked up a tomato and showed it to Hermione. Hermione laughed and shook her head. Draco kept looking and finally he found it.

"You'll have to teach me all the raw food," he said, handing the pepper to Hermione.

"Maybe tomorrow," Hermione said, laughing.

"Okay, now what do I need to do?" Draco asked.

"Go into the freezer and find the mince," Hermione said, chopping the pepper into strips.

"Now I know what that looks like," Draco said, delving into the freezer.

He quickly found it and gave it to Hermione. With Hermione's instructions, he slowly, almost single-handedly, made the whole meal.

"We could lay the table like a posh restaurant," Hermione said, grinning.

Draco lazily pulled his wand out of his back pocket and waved it towards the dining table. It instantly grew candles, plates, cutlery and glasses. Hermione stared.

"It looks beautiful," she said, smiling as Draco dished the food up.

Mrs and Mr Granger walked into the kitchen to see how they were doing. They gasped when they saw the table.

"It looks lovely," Mrs Granger said, taking her seat.

Mr Granger and Hermione followed suit and Draco passed the plates around. When they had finished, Draco and Hermione went to Hermione's room to catch up on some homework while Mr and Mrs Granger went and sat in the living room.

"He's a lovely lad, that Draco is," Mrs Granger said fondly.

"He's a good footballer too," Mr Granger added.

"Do you think he and Hermione…?" Mrs Granger asked, trailing off at the end.

"It's not impossible," Mr Granger replied.

"Let time takes its course, I say," Mrs Granger said, smiling contentedly to herself.

"If you say so, dear," Mr Granger said, opening the paper.

Upstairs, Draco and Hermione were sitting on Hermione's bed, quickly reading through the hundred pages Snape had given them to revise from over the holidays. Draco had his book in his lap, while Hermione had hers on the bed, leaning forward slightly. Draco sighed and shut his book, bored of reading. He looked at Hermione who was still engrossed in her book.

"Hermione, d'you want to play Truth or Dare?" he asked, putting his book down on the bed.

Hermione looked up silently and smiled. Truth or Dare was one of her favourite games.

"I warn you, I can dare you to do the worst imaginable things," Draco said, twisting round so he and Hermione could face each other to play.

"And I can find the deepest, most embarrassing questions," Hermione replied, shutting her book and grinning evilly.

"Seems like we're evenly matched," Draco said, smirking. "You go first."

"Truth or dare?" Hermione asked him.

"Truth," Draco asked, somewhat regretting it as soon as he said it.

"Have you ever slept with Pansy?" Hermione asked, grinning and biting her lip.

"Naturally," Draco replied, his eyebrows raised. He gestured to his body. "Who wouldn't want a piece of this?"

Hermione laughed. "Okay, your turn."

"Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you and Weasley ever slept together?" Draco asked, getting his revenge.

Hermione burst out laughing. "Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously!" Draco replied.

"No, Ron's nice and all, but I don't think I'd ever go that far with him," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose slightly.

"Who would you want to go that far with?" Draco suddenly blurted.

"Hey, that's cheating, two truths in one!" Hermione said, playfully slapping his arm.

Draco smirked and caught hold of her arm, pulling her towards him. He then reached to her stomach and started to tickle her.

"Noooooooo!" she wailed between giggles. "I should never have told you where I was ticklish!"

"You should have though of that when you told me," Draco said, still tickling her.

Hermione attempted to wriggle away, but wriggled off the bed, pulling Draco with her. She landed on top of Draco, his arms still around her from tickling. They were still both laughing. Hermione sighed and went silent. It was a few moments before she realised what position they were in and jumped up. She blushed slightly and stuck her hand out to pull Draco to his feet. They smiled sheepishly at each other and sat on their separate beds.

"There is this one boy I would be willing to go that far with," Hermione said quietly, pulling her book towards her.

"Huh?" Draco asked, grabbing his own book.

"Nothing," Hermione said quickly.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: _Argh, my idea bunny's totally buggered off now. I'm back to writer's block. Ah well, here it goes._

Hermione felt someone sit down on her bed. She opened her eyes and noted that it was still dark, though she could make out a figure at the foot of her bed.

"Draco?" she mumbled, still half asleep.

"I just dreamt about my father," Draco said solemnly, as if explaining everything.

Hermione struggled into a sitting position and held her arms out, inviting him for a hug. Her mother used to comfort her with a hug when she was younger after she had had a nightmare. Draco wriggled down the bed and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. She could feel him breathing into her shoulder, his warm breath tickling her skin.

"It was just a dream," she said, once they had parted.

"Yeah, I suppose," Draco said. Then he laughed. "It's quite stupid really. I shouldn't be getting scared from dreams. And especially not ones about a dead man."

"The ones about relatives, dead or alive, can be the worst," Hermione said, collapsing back to her pillow. "I'm going back to sleep."

There was a silence and Draco looked round at her. She could feel him looking at her through the darkness. Reading his look, she sighed and shuffled over, flapping the duvet back for him to get in.

"Thank you," he said, smiling and wriggling under the duvet.

"So you're a sharer too, eh?" Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"After a nightmare I don't like being alone in bed. When I was little, I used to go and share with my parents," Hermione explained.

"When I was little, I had no one except Ding," Draco replied.

"Who's Ding?" Hermione asked.

"I'll show you," Draco said, jumping up and crossing over to his trunk.

He rustled around inside of it before straightening up and throwing something over to Hermione. Hermione sat up a little and looked at it.

"A stuffed elephant!" she cooed, gently stroking its fur.

Draco clambered back into bed and took Ding from her. He hugged him to his chest.

"Who knew Draco Malfoy had a stuffed animal?" Hermione said, smirking and looking at Draco.

"Tell anyone and you die," Draco warned.

"It's okay, I have loads of them. Want to see?" Hermione asked, jumping up and stepping over Draco without a reply.

She opened her wardrobe and pulled a big box out. She put it on Draco's bed and opened it. Pulling them out, she suddenly went quiet.

"Whoa, I forgot I had this," she said, pulling out a stuffed elephant.

She went back to the bed and took Ding from Draco.

"They're exactly the same," Draco said.

Hermione climbed back over him and into the duvet.

"Strange," she said. "I've had this elephant since I was a baby. Her name's Wrong or Long or something."

"Dong?" Draco suggested.

"Ding and Dong," Hermione said, laughing.

They sat in silence, staring at nothing.

"Ugh, I can't sleep now, do you want to watch a movie?" Hermione said, standing up and going to her TV.

"Umm, sure," Draco replied.

Hermione picked out a few DVDs and gave them to Draco to choose from.

"Grease, Billy Elliot or West Side Story?" Hermione asked.

"All music based," Draco said, wrinkling his nose. "West Side Story, then."

"Good, I know all the words to that," Hermione said, putting the DVD in the TV and clambering back into bed beside Draco.

As the movie began, Hermione slipped down into a slouched positing, hugging Dong to her. She slowly leant sideways until her head was resting on Draco's shoulder. Draco moved his arm slightly and put it around her, making it more comfortable for the both of them. Hermione found herself drifting off into sleep.

_- The Next__ Morning _–

Hermione yawned and opened her eyes. She could hear someone breathing close to her ear and felt a chest rise and fall under her arm. She saw Draco's black t-shirt and realised she was lying on his chest, one arm flung over him. They must have fallen asleep during the movie. She moved slightly and felt his hand slip off her shoulder. His arm was still around her. Their stuffed elephants were laying one on top of the other between them.

"Draco," she whispered, lifting herself up onto her elbows. "Draco!"

"Huh? What?" he mumbled, stretching slightly.

"Its morning," she replied, feeling instantly stupid for stating the obvious.

"No, it's too early," Draco said, pulling the duvet further up.

"It's half nine," Hermione replied, looking at her alarm clock.

"Still too early," Draco stated, finally opening his eyes. "We must have fallen asleep."

"Yeah," Hermione replied. "So you want breakfast?"

"Suppose I could use some," Draco replied.

They sat up and Draco saw the stuffed elephants.

"Ha, elephant love," he said, smiling.

Hermione smiled and climbed over Draco and out of bed. She yawned and stretched, catching sight of herself in the mirror. She saw Draco stand up behind her and reach out to tickle her. She threw her arms back to her sides instantly in an attempt to stop him, but it was too late, he was already tickling her. She tried to wiggle out of his grip and pulled at his hands but failed. After a minute he gave in, but kept his hands on her waist. Hermione looked to the mirror and felt a rush of blood to her head when she saw hers and Draco's reflections. Draco must have seen them too, because he moved his hands away and started towards the door. Hermione suddenly felt very conscious of her body in her spaghetti strap pale blue pyjama top and her dark blue pyjama shorts.

"Are you coming then?" Draco asked, opening the door.

"Yeah, just coming," she replied, following him out of the door and down the stairs.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs she saw there was a parchment letter on the doormat. She grabbed it and ran into the kitchen to get the letter opener.

"Who's that from?" Draco asked.

"I don't know, but probably Ginny," Hermione said, opening the letter and reading it. "Oh heck."

"What?" Draco asked.

"It was Harry. Him, Ginny and Ron are coming here at eleven. They'll flip if they see you," Hermione said, handing Draco the letter.

"So tell them I'm here because Dumbledore wanted to hide me and knew you would offer your hospitality," Draco replied, shrugging.

"Of course they won't believe that!" Hermione said, almost hysterically.

"So tell them that I'm madly in love with you and begged to stay with you for the holidays and being the kind, generous person you are, you agreed," Draco said, smirking.

"Oh very funny," Hermione said, batting at him. "No, I'll tell them Dumbledore asked if I could hide someone from the frontline and you turned up."

"Considering I'm fighting the light side, Potter better be happy I'm here," Draco said darkly.

"Why are you fighting for the light side?" Hermione asked suddenly. "You never said why you rebelled against your father."

"I got sick of him," Draco shrugged, grabbing a slice of bread and putting it in the toaster. "He was trying to control me so I decided to take a stand. After all, that's what he taught me to do."

"Cunning," Hermione said quietly. "Still the cunning, sly old Malfoy."

"And that's how I'll stay," Draco said, laughing lightly. "Same old Malfoy, same old Granger. Nothing's different, right?"


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: _Ooh, a bit of a cliffy back there! (: So yeah, I own nothing. Ha. _

Hermione swallowed and stared at the ground. Draco furrowed his eyebrows.

"Right?" he asked, trying to confirm it.

Hermione looked back up and sighed.

"I don't know," she said, shaking her head slowly. "You're living with me now, that's different, isn't it?"

"I suppose," Draco mumbled. "I get what you mean; we've changed, grown up, and all that."

He turned and went back upstairs. Hermione sighed and leant against the work surface. Everything _was _different. He was a different person since his father had died and now he was fighting for the light side. They weren't biting each other's heads off any more and were actually enjoying each other's company.

_He's scared, _Hermione concluded to herself. _He doesn't like change and he's scared of it. _

She looked to the clock to see that it was half past ten. Harry, Ron and Ginny would be here soon and she needed to shower and get dressed.

_Maybe I'm scared too, _she wondered.

She went upstairs and into her room. Draco was sitting on his bed, already dressed, Ding in his lap, staring blankly at the door.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked, going to her wardrobe and pulling out a white spaghetti strap tank top and dark jeans.

"Yeah, just thinking," he replied dully.

"I'm going for a shower; I'll be out in a minute and then we can wait for Harry," Hermione said, opening the door.

Draco nodded silently as she shut the door behind her and listened to her turn the shower on. As he listened to the water running, he thought about all the times at school they had sneered and snarled at each other compared to now where they were living together. She let him stay with her even though she didn't like him, but now they had grown closer and were having fun together. He didn't want to ruin that by admitting they'd changed. What if she liked him? What if he liked her?

_Do I like her? _he asked himself. _No… I can't… We're too different and besides, she's only a friend, right?_

The door opened again and Hermione came back in, dressed but with wet hair. She walked past Draco and picked her wand up off of her bedside table. She pointed it to her head and quickly dried her hair. It fell into loose ringlets over her shoulders. Draco stared. He'd never noticed how pretty she was before. Hermione turned and found Draco staring at her. She smiled and went to the door, gesturing for him to follow her. They went downstairs and Hermione opened the front door. She went and sat on the garden wall, Draco stood in the doorway, leaning against the doorpost.

"What time is it?" Hermione asked Draco, looking round at him.

Draco checked the time on the clock in the hallway. Ten to eleven. As he looked back around he heard a thud and saw Hermione and Ginny lying in a heap on the lawn. It looked as if Ginny had thrown herself at Hermione and they'd fallen off the wall. Ron and Harry standing infront of the wall, laughing at Ginny.

"Ginny, you're heavy!" Hermione wailed, giggling.

Ginny clambered off and Hermione sat up. The girls hugged and squealed. Ron looked up and saw Draco, his face dropping to a stony glare. Draco returned the glare. Hermione saw Ron's expression and jumped up. Ginny looked between the two, getting to her feet.

"What's he doing here?" Harry sneered, stepping forwards.

"I could ask you the same question," Draco snapped, stepping out from the doorframe.

"Draco," Hermione said warningly.

Harry, Ron and Ginny stared at her.

"_Draco_?" Ron asked, dumbfounded. "Since when did you call him by his first name?"

"Since he started living with me," Hermione retorted.

"What?" all three of them snapped.

"Dumbledore asked if someone from the front line could stay with me, and Draco turned up. I have no control over it, okay?" Hermione said, scowling.

"Dumbledore's supporting the dark side?" Harry roared, his face turning red in anger.

"I'm on the bloody light side!" Draco protested.

"Oh yeah, pull the other one," Ron snapped.

"Ron, he's on the light side," Hermione sighed. "Let's go inside before this gets out of hand."

Hermione led them into the living room where Ron and Harry claimed the sofa, Ginny sat in one of the armchairs and Draco collapsed into the other one. Ron, Harry and Ginny glared at Draco and he glared back at them.

"Right, to get this cleared, Harry and Ron, Draco's fighting for the light side, that's why he's hiding because his father's friends are out to get him," Hermione explained, sitting on the edge of the arm of Draco's chair.

"Where's his father now, eh?" Ron retorted. "Probably out plotting revenge against Harry."

"My father's dead," Draco mumbled, still glaring at them.

Ron didn't saw anything but his glare faltered.

"He's on _our_ side, Ron!" Hermione said.

"Hermione, just because you fancy him does not mean he's on our side," Ginny said, rolling her eyes.

"I do not fancy him!" Hermione said, her eyes wide.

"It's so obvious, Hermione, dear," Ginny said. "I mean, for one thing, look where you chose to sit."

Hermione jumped up and stepped well away from Draco's chair.

"I do not fancy Draco, okay? He's on our side and he's in hiding!" she shouted before storming out into the kitchen.

Ginny jumped up and went after her. Draco made to get out of his seat to go and help but sat down again when Ron and Harry narrowed their eyes at him.

Ginny found Hermione standing infront of the window, looking out at the back garden. Her eyes were shining and she was blinking rapidly.

"'Mione?" Ginny asked quietly.

Hermione turned around but didn't look directly at her. Instead she glanced around the room, still blinking.

"Gin, I don't know what to do!" she said, bursting into tears.

Ginny stepped forward and hugged Hermione.

"It's true," she mumbled into Ginny's shoulder. "I do like him."

"So what's the problem?" Ginny asked, pulling away and holding Hermione at arm's length.

"Duh, he's Draco Malfoy, the weasel we've all hated since we started Hogwarts," Hermione said, laughing with tears still streaming down her cheeks.

"He's also dead sexy," Ginny said, smiling.

"Yeah," Hermione admitted, looking to the ground to hide her smile.

What she didn't see was Draco standing at the door, watching the scene. He just stood and stared, not making any indication that he was there.

"And he'd be mad not to like you back, 'Mione," Ginny said encouragingly. "And, if what you said is right, he's changed. He'd be good to you and he'd be a total idiot to let this opportunity slip."

"He doesn't know," Hermione said, looking up at Ginny.

She saw Draco standing in the background and her eyes widened. Ginny turned around and followed her line of vision.

"Now he does," she said.

Draco turned and silently went upstairs, as if in a trance. Hermione sighed and let the tears fall again.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: _Idea bunny, Idea bunny, where for art thou Idea bunny? I seem to have misplaced her again…_

Hermione rolled over. She couldn't sleep. Not properly. She had been drifting in and out for hours now, but couldn't fall asleep properly. She rolled over again and stared at Draco's bed. Harry and Ron didn't know about what had happened and were somewhat glad that Draco had disappeared upstairs and out of their way. Ginny remained loyally silent and Hermione just sat and nodded at everything Ron or Harry said. Draco muttered something and Hermione looked up. In the dim light, she could make out him rolling onto his back, still mumbling under his breath. She ignored it and went back to thinking. He hadn't said anything to her since the incident. He had been in bed when she had come upstairs after Harry, Ginny and Ron had left, and she didn't want to disturb him. Draco mumbled louder and turned over again. Hermione looked up, squinting against the darkness.

"No, don't kill me, NO!" Draco muttered, slightly louder.

"Draco?" Hermione asked, started to get anxious.

"Father, don't kill me!" Draco said, his voice almost raised.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Hermione said, sitting up and staring at him.

"I'm begging you!" Draco said, almost shouting.

He started thrashing around in his bed.

"No! I don't want to die! No, father, please! NO!"

Hermione got up and sat on the edge of his bed, resting her hand on his chest to try and calm him.

"Don't kill me, please don't kill me!" Draco pleaded, still asleep.

"Draco, wake up!" Hermione said, shaking him.

"I'll do anything, please don't kill me!" Draco said, sweat starting to drip from every pore.

"Draco, wake up! Please wake up!" Hermione begged, starting to shake him harder.

He started mumbling again, but was still thrashing around in his bed. Hermione kept shaking him.

"NO!" Draco shouted, but his eyes snapped open.

He was breathing heavily, staring straight ahead. He remained still for a moment, but then rolled over and threw up over the side of the bed. Hermione grimaced and reached over to her bedside table for her wand. Draco collapsed back to his pillow after emptying his stomach onto her bedroom floor and started trying to calm his breathing. Hermione quickly magicked the mess on the floor away and turned her attention back to Draco.

"Draco, are you alright?" she asked anxiously, putting her wand back on her bedside table.

He didn't reply, but slowly turned his gaze to her, no emotion in his eyes. He was shivering slightly, still covered in a cold sweat.

"I have some Dreamless Sleep potion in my drawer, do you want it?" she asked, reaching over and turning the lamp on her bedside table on.

Draco swallowed and shook his head. He looked back to the ceiling. Hermione reached out to touch his forehead but he ducked away from her hand.

"Draco, please, let me help you!" Hermione said.

"Why should I?" he mumbled coldly, still staring at the ceiling.

"I know you get scared after your nightmares about your father, and I know you don't like dealing with it on your own," Hermione said, putting her hand on his arm.

He flinched but didn't move his arm away. Hermione sidled closer to him, so she was sitting on his pillow, and lifted his head onto her lap, gently stroking his hair. He sighed and shut his eyes, letting her comfort him. She pulled his covers over him as he was still shivering.

"Do you want me to stay here or do you want me to go back to my bed?" Hermione asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Stay here," Draco mumbled sleepily.

Hermione smiled just a little and continued to stroke his hair. He suddenly opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"You know what you said to Ginny earlier?" he asked quietly.

Hermione nodded, a faint blush rising to her cheeks at the memory.

"Ginny was right. I would be mad not to like you back," he said, closing his eyes again. "But I'm sane, Hermione. I'm sane, I promise you."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows but smiled, slightly confused. As Draco's breathing became heavier and more rhythmic, she went over what he had said again.

_But I'm sane…_

Ginny had said he would be mad not to like her. He was sane, so he was not mad.

"Oh heck…" Hermione whispered, her eyes widening.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: _French Fries? Anyone…? No…? Okay, all the more for me, then. (:_

Hermione drifted reluctantly into consciousness. She yawned and opened her eyes. She found herself alone in Draco's bed, the covers pulled up to her shoulders. Wondering momentarily how she got there, she remembered last night. Sitting up, she looked around for Draco but there was no sign of him. She rolled out of bed and went downstairs.

"Draco?" she called into the house.

She stood still at the bottom of the stairs, listening for a reply. All she could here was her father's snoring and the birds outside. She went into the kitchen and looked around. There was a note on the work surface.

_Hermione,_

_I've gone out jogging; I needed to think about some things. I made you breakfast, it's in the fridge._

_I'll be back later._

_Draco. _

Hermione smiled as she read it, and then turned to the fridge. Opening it, she spotted a bowl of fruit salad. Pulling it out, she looked at it. There were segments of orange, slices of apple and banana, balls of different melons and on the top, there were slices of strawberries. Hermione noticed that they looked like small hearts. She tilted her head and smiled, before sitting down at the breakfast bar and started to eat it. She heard the slap of slippers behind her, and looked around. Her mother was standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Hermione, dear," she said, smiling weakly.

"Morning Mum!" Hermione replied cheerily, through a mouthful of melon.

"Dear, I think we need to have a small chat," Mrs Granger said, climbing onto the stool beside Hermione.

"About what?" Hermione said, swallowing the melon.

"Hermione, when two people love each other, they… _engage _in a certain activity, and although you think you may love him, it's not always best to rush into things," Mrs Granger said.

"Mum, you've already given me the sex talk, I know about it," Hermione said, smiling.

"I know you do, dear, but even though you may love Draco, there's no need to rush into it," Mrs Granger said.

"What?" Hermione asked, her eyes wide. "You think me and Draco had sex?"

"You were in his bed last night!" Mrs Granger said, almost angrily.

"He had a nightmare so I went to comfort him but I fell asleep and he let me stay with him instead of moving me back to my bed," Hermione said, suddenly loosing her appetite. She felt her temper rising. "I can't believe you think I'm that stupid!"

"Hermione dear, I jumped to the wrong conclusion!" Mrs Granger said, suddenly pleading, as Hermione got down from the breakfast bar and put her bowl of fruit salad back in the fridge. "Draco's a handsome boy, I thought even you would give in!"

"Just leave it, Mum," Hermione said, scowling.

She turned and went back upstairs, slamming her door shut loud enough for her mother to hear. She turned back around and looked to Draco's bed, imagining the sight that her mother had seen of them both in it, asleep. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she shook her head of the image and turned to her wardrobe, digging out a black t-shirt and white long shorts. Pulling them on and looking out of the window, Hermione saw that the sky was a pale blue. She sighed and decided she would go and wait for Draco to get back. She went back downstairs, ignored her mother calling her from the kitchen, and went outside to sit on the garden wall.

She looked up and down her street, noticing how silent and still everything was. The postman was down the road, walking into people's gardens and posting letters through their doors, and there was a cat over the road stretching out in the sun. The sun shone down on her, warming her back. She tapped her bare feet on the pavement and looked along the road again. She saw someone at the very end in a grey tracksuit, the hood pulled up over his head. Hermione recognised him as Draco and stood up, smiling. He slowed down to a walk as he neared her, his chest heaving as he pulled his hood down.

"How long have you been waiting?" he asked, panting, leaning down with his hands on his knees.

"Not that long," Hermione replied.

Draco sat down on the wall next to where Hermione had been sitting and pulled his tracksuit top off, flinging it on the lawn behind them. Hermione sat back down on the wall, ignoring his naked torso as best she could, and smiled to herself.

"What's so funny?" Draco asked, his breath almost back to normal.

"My Mum got the idea that you and me had sex last night," she said, blushing immediately.

Draco laughed hoarsely. "Now where did she get that idea from?"

There was silence for a moment as Hermione beamed at the pavement.

"Do you want a drink?" Hermione asked, feeling her blush die down.

"No, I'm okay for the moment," Draco replied.

"Liar, I'll get you one," Hermione said, climbing off of the wall.

She ran indoors. Draco rested his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands, sighing deeply. She was so caring and kind, and despite their differences, she had accepted him and let him stay with her during the war. She had comforted him after his dreams about his father, and had even defending him infront of her friends. He had to find some way to pay her back.

"Here," Hermione said, flicking cold water from her fingers over Draco's back.

Draco turned around and took the drink from Hermione, and she climbed back onto the wall. When she wasn't looking, Draco dipped his finger tips into his drink and flicked it at Hermione. She turned around, smiling, and took the drink from him, throwing some of at over him.

"This is war, Hermione," Draco said, laughing and jumping up, running inside for more ammunition.

He grabbed a bottle and filled it with water, then went back outside. Hermione was standing with the half empty glass. Draco pulled the cap up on the bottle and stood infront of her. Hermione squealed as he squirted her with water. He advanced on her, still soaking her. Hermione jumped at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, pouring the rest of the drink down his back, making his shiver. He fell forwards, landing on top of Hermione. Hermione pushed him off and sat on top of him, grabbing the bottle of water and holding it above his face.

"Do you give?" she asked as he squirmed under her trying to get away from the dripping bottle.

"I give!" he said, laughing.

Hermione sat back and turned the bottle the right way up. Draco looked up at her, his eyes twinkling. Hermione smiled back. Draco had a sudden idea. Acting purely on instinct, he took her hands and pulled her down towards him. At first, Hermione resisted but then she let him pull her closer. Hermione found herself inches away from Draco's face. If her mind hadn't clouded over, she could count every eyelash that framed his silver eyes. She could feel his breath on her lips, and could smell his aftershave. He tilted his head up slightly, brushing his lips against hers. Hermione's breath caught in her throat. He rested his head back on the grass again, but Hermione bent down lower and caught his lips again, kissing him deeply.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: _Heh, they finally kissed:D Yay! Umm… Sorry about the wait. I have had total writer's block for ages. And I kinda forgot about my HP fanfics… Sorryyyy! But the idea bunny has returned and hopefully I'm back on track and will be updating a lot more often than I have been. Review! _

**Dedicated to Becca for getting me to finally update**

Hermione was the first to come to her senses. She pulled away suddenly, panting to catch her breath. She looked down at Draco in silent shock.

"What?" he asked, worry suddenly plunging into his stomach.

Hermione stood up suddenly, rushing inside. Draco sighed and let his head hit the ground. What had he done now? After a moment of staring moodily at the clear sky, he got up and followed her inside. He guessed she'd gone to their room, so he headed upstairs.

"Hermione?" he called, pushing the door open.

Hermione was sat cross-legged on her bed, hugging her pillow. Draco could only see her eyes over the edge of the pillow, but he could tell she was crying.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down beside her.

Hermione shook her head but Draco pressed on.

"Was it something I did?" he asked, feeling concerned.

"No, it's not you," Hermione finally said.

"So what is it?" Draco asked.

Hermione didn't reply at first. She stared at her lap, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her t-shirt .

"I can't do this," she whispered. "Harry and Ron… They'd kill me… and you."

"So don't tell them," Draco said, sliding an arm around her and pulling her towards him.

"I can't exactly keep you a secret, they'd find out eventually," Hermione said, leaning on his shoulder.

"We can try," Draco said, his breath tickling Hermione's neck as he rested his cheek on her head.

"I don't know," Hermione replied, almost so quietly that he couldn't hear her.

"Please try?" Draco purred.

"Okay," Hermione said, feeling a rush of excitement, worry and anxiety. "Okay, we'll try."

Draco smiled, suddenly feeling proud of himself. He cuddled Hermione to his chest and breathed in the smell of her shampoo. Hermione buried her face in his shoulder, trying to think of a way to keep Ron and Harry from finding out.

"Hermione!" her mother called from downstairs. "Hermione, come here a minute!"

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes before pulling out of Draco's arms.

"C'mon," she said softly, pulling Draco up by the hand and leading him out of the room and down the stairs.

Mrs Granger was standing in the kitchen and Draco instantly dropped Hermione's hand as if it were red hot. But it was too late.

"Hermione," Mrs Granger said, putting an arm around her daughter's shoulders. "Could I talk to you for a minute in private, please?"

Hermione couldn't object as Mrs Granger led her out of the kitchen and into the living room. When the door was shut, Mrs Granger turned to face Hermione. Hermione couldn't help but feel nervous.

"You said there was nothing between you two," she said, her face cracking into a smile, reminding Hermione of Ginny. Hermione let out a relieved sigh.

"There was nothing," she replied.

"But he was holding your hand," Mrs Granger said, confusion suddenly crossing her face.

"I said there _was_ nothing, I didn't say there isn't now," Hermione said, rolling her eyes. Mrs Granger smiled gently and pulled Hermione into her arms.

"Oh Hermione," she murmured. "You're growing up so fast."

Hermione shut her eyes and breathed in her mother's scent. She couldn't pinpoint the exact smell but she smelt of home, which was more than comforting.

"But be careful, Hermione," Mrs Granger continued, pulling away and holding Hermione at arm's length. "Be careful."

Hermione laughed lightly. "I will, Mum."

They went back into the kitchen where Draco was pouring out glasses of lemonade for him and Hermione. Mrs Granger smiled fondly and sat down at the breakfast bar, pulling a letter towards her.

"Now, Hermione, I wanted to ask you about something—"

Mrs Granger was cut off by a yelp from Draco and a crash on the floor. Hermione spun around to see Draco, a hand clutched to his left forearm, broken glass and lemonade on the floor.

"Draco, what's wrong?" she asked, putting her hand over his, trying to comfort him.

Draco swallowed and lifted his hand, revealing the faint outline of the Dark Mark. Hermione gasped and Draco clapped his hand back over it.

"Hermione, what's happening?" Mrs Granger asked, standing up and crossing over to them.

Hermione remained silent, her eyes trained on Draco's. She felt scared. Scared for him, scared for herself, scared of the Mark.

"Hermione!" Mrs Granger said urgently as Draco's grip on his arm tightened and his eyebrows dipped down into a strained frown. Hermione swallowed.

"You-Know-Who's summoning his Death Eaters," Hermione said, her voice no more than a whisper.


End file.
